Overcoming Blood
by Echo0112358
Summary: What if not only Ace was the son of the Late Pirate King, but Luffy was as well? What if Sabo was the son of the Great Revolutionary Dragon? A twist on the original tale that will have the ASL brothers heading out on their adventures much earlier than anticipated, and facing trials they could scarcely imagine. Can they get past their parent's, and make a name all their own?
1. Prologue

A world ruled by blood.

They say that blood runs deep, or that it is thicker than water. In this particular world, these principles are the very foundation from which society functions. In this setting, blood, is supposedly the deciding factor; this substance, too many people, is allowed to dictate one's whole existence, their essence, their being. Though some believe that the soul of a person is the true determining factor of someone's character, many others are simply to close minded for such ideologies.

Blood determines birth.

Birth determines status.

Status determines quality of life.

Quality of life determines who you are in this world, and most importantly, who you are not.

These mantras have, in truth, taken root deep in the hearts of those who believe them true. Marines use them to justify their "Ultimate Justice". The World Government, has them to support their holds on other countries, and factions. The World Nobles most of all hold these four principles to simply prove their superiority over others, and subdue all those who they believe to be beneath them. For one born to a high ranking family, blood is a gift. For someone born in the slums, it is a curse. In this world of strictly black and white, good and evil, blood can both bless and condemn someone. There, most simply, only two things, right and wrong. The shadow a parent can cast simply by association can be hard move out from under.

This is not a story about the common preconceptions of "good" triumphing over a predetermined "evil", or a story of traditional proportions; this is a story about three people darkened by the hulking figures of their ancestors, and a struggle to overcome societal viewpoints of their forefather's legacies. Can these brothers prove that the sins of the father are truly not the sins of the son, or will the flow of time drag them down the same way it did their parents? Can they overcome the effects of this world, ruled by blood?

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the story and the plot. :)**

 **A/N: Wanted to save the note for the end to help with dramatic effect. This idea has been in my head for a while and I just that, what the hell, lets just write this. Ace will still be the son of Roger, but now so will Luffy, even with the age difference; Sabo will be the son of Dragon even though in the original he was a noble, trust me his new back story will be explained. Hoped you enjoyed the prologue enough to wait for the first chapter... Review :)...**


	2. Forecast

-ACE-

It had rained that day.

Contrary to popular belief, the day the Great Pirate King was executed, it rained.

On this same day, the second son of Gold Roger was born. A life for a life.

Even now, that is what struck Ace the most. Just as his mother had died to bring him into the world, that the same would happen to his little brother; that he would lose a parent on the day of his birth.

He had begun his existence as the son of the notorious pirate monarch just three years prior to that same man's demise. Ace could just barely remember his father's face in the fleeting memories of his infancy, the face of the man who conquered the seas; he who beckoned in the New Age of Piracy. What he wouldn't give for it to have been someone else's face staring back at him in those remembrances.

He never knew what happened to Luffy's mother; whisked away perhaps by her family, or simply eliminated for spawning a "demon child". Ace could never be certain.

Soon after the execution, a man by the title of Monkey D. Garp came and took Luffy and himself away from the village they had been housed; supposedly this was a favor to the now deceased King. The old geezer dumped them off, an infant and barely three year old, off at a shack in the middle of the woods run by a clan of bandits. Yeah, bandits… _Totally_ qualified caregivers… At least that Shitty Gramps would visit sporadically when he had time to take leave, not that Ace wanted that old timer anywhere near him.

His first word was one of the most important, his brother's name; well he could only really pronounce the first syllable, so for the most part Ace called him "Lu", simpler that way. Even at such a young age, he knew that the only thing that mattered was protecting little Luffy, and nothing else. But he only really came to this epiphany a couple of years later when he overheard the bandits talking about the rumors of the King having children; he thanked any god who was listening that they didn't know of his and Lu's true parentage. He would rather die than let that secret get out. No question.

The day he heard those words in the other room he looked up at the sky.

It rained.

-LUFFY-

It had been clear that day.

Not a cloud could be seen the day he met the man who would go on to shift the course in which his very life was headed.

He had sneaked away from the hideout and Ace after he fell asleep in a bout of his occasional narcoleptic episodes. Luffy was rarely ever let out of his sight let alone to go down to the village, too bad he had other plans. Truly, he could understand his big brother's concern, what with their father, but he believed he was strong enough to beat anyone. Anyone.

Whenever he could, he would always make secret trips down the side of the mountain to rendezvous with the nice lady who worked ate the local bar, who he so happened to befriend. And what's more, she gave him free food. FREE MEAT. Luffy strongly believed, in his little seven year old brain, that free food should never be turned down, let alone free meat. Ever. It was simply unthinkable.

On this particular day however, something was different. As he wandered down the road he could see a large gathering of townsfolk near the docks, all seeming to be fixated on the new ship currently docked in the harbor. But he could really care less about the ship, all that Luffy saw was the flag hanging above the crow's nest. A skull and crossbones with three slashes over the left eye socket. Pirates. Real pirates. A sense of pure joy filled his chest. He was actually going to meet pirates! As he got closer to the crowd, raucous laughter could be heard from a distance. His smile got even bigger.

When the group of villagers finally dispersed, Luffy got his first glimpse of the crew which was currently headed straight towards the bar. Without them even noticing he quickly followed behind the jovial group of seafarers.

Stepping through the great double doors, he was met with a better sight than he could have ever imagined. Deep, throaty laughs permeated the air, and the smell of alcohol was thick. At his arrival, the only man sitting at the bar turned to him, vibrant red hair flashing as he shifted; the eyes of the seasoned pirate meeting the eyes of the next Pirate King. This man had a smile which could rival Luffy's own. From that moment he simply knew, that he and this man would be great friends.

He broke the connection just briefly to glance out the window.

It had been clear that day.

-SABO-

It had been snowing that day.

The snow, already several inches deep prevented him from moving any faster than a snail's pace as Sabo desperately trekked through the mountainous woods.

His heart beat was erratic in his chest, doing twists and turns all throughout his chest cavity. What an idiot he was. He should have known the moment that he spoke of that matter to anyone, he would be discovered; even in the most trusted of confidants. Truly stupid.

Sabo had been walking for what felt like hours, and that bloody snow had yet to cease. But in a way he was thankful for it, for the frozen crystals were able to cover his small tracks. Suddenly he was ground to an abrupt stop by a deep coughing fit that lasted at least a minute, crouched in a doubled over position. Finally after that let up he was able to begin his march again.

He would have doubled back to create separate trails so that in the case of someone tracking him so they would hopefully be rather confused, but the matter was currently much more pressing for that. He had been searching for the village that was supposedly on the other side of the mountain, though he himself had never been, where he hoped there would be a doctor.

Pausing momentarily, he lifted his gloved hand from the area bellow his ribcage revealing the dark stain of blood across his fingertips and coats. He silently swore as another shudder of pain rippled through his body. He didn't know how much time he had left, the cold was beginning to get to him as well as the blood loss. Letting out another shuddering breath Sabo continued on at his slow speed praying to all that was holy, that he would be able to find this town before it was too late.

After several more minutes his vision began to blur. _Damn it,_ he thought as he attempted a few more jerky steps forward, only for his knees to buckle under him. He didn't even have time to catch himself before his face hit the ground. There he lay for who knows how long, slowly drifting towards unconsciousness; Sabo began to resign himself to his impending fate. Off in the distance he could faintly hear shouts as the world began to fade, though probably just figments of the imagination. Not that he cared, for all that he saw was the crimson slowly spreading across the white covered earth. The true color of death.

It was also on this day and time that the snow had ceased to fall.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only the story and the plot. :)**

 **A/N: Hello again to those out there who may be reading this! The is the first chapter, what did you think? I know it isn't traditionally formatted, but it is simply to introduce the characters. I will begin with the more traditional story like narrative and dialogue in the next chapter. See you next time! Review :)**


	3. Awakening

-ACE-

The room, after several long minutes, had finally begun to quiet down. When Luffy had returned from one of his "walks" through the forest, Ace had been planning on scolding him for leaving the hut without himself, but the sight of his little brother dragging a bloodied and unconscious form through the front door stopped him cold. It took his brain several seconds to register the scene he was seeing. Luffy. An unknown person. Blood. His little Lu covered in blood.

Snapping back to his senses, he ran forward and frantically checked Luffy for any wounds, fearing he had somehow also been injured along with the blond. Ace could barely make out what he was saying through the gibberish and ragged breaths, but from what he could glean, Luffy had found the kid already injured on his way through the glade, and decided to bring him back. It took some extreme self-control for Ace not to scream at his little brother for practically scaring him to death, but the body in front of him was much more important at that moment. Upon closer inspection the kid, probably around his own age, he looked to have several small lacerations and bruises across his face, and a profusely bleeding gunshot wound to his lower abdomen.

After seeing this, he knew there wouldn't be much he could do personally to help the kid. Making a decision, he hurriedly ran into the other room to wake up Dadan and the other bandits, who had probably already heard the ruckus near the front door, now yelling, "wake up you old hag! We could really use your help in here!"

Clearly this was more than enough to get a crowd of cranky and tired bandits where he needed them to be. A lot of angry moans and groans were silenced when they also saw the sight Ace had just come upon. Per Dadan's instructions and moderately quick thinking, not that Ace believed she could think much in the first place, they were able to get the new arrival out of Luffy's death grip and sufficiently patched up for the time being. All while this was occurring Ace was over by his brother trying to calm him down. It wasn't that he had never seen blood, I mean they hunt nearly every day, but he believed that Luffy seeing so much blood on a kid that looked to be Ace's age, it probably gave him a rather large shock considering that could have been his older brother.

He was finally able to coax Luffy into a fitful sleep, seeing him unconsciously grip and ungrasp the straw hat he was holding against his chest; this being the same hat he had received several weeks prior from the man Ace could barely get his brother to shut up about. He was about ready to storm out one day and kill that red headed bastard when Lu had come home with a bandage under his eye that covered a large crescent shaped gouge from a knife, but calmly and in a happy tone Luffy had told him that he had done it to himself. That explanation did not in any way quench his fury, it only shifted it to the seven year old idiot. Let's just say that little Luffy now had a large bruise on his forehead to accompany his new scar, if only temporary.

Now, leaning with his shoulder on the door frame Ace's eyes scanned the unconscious body currently inhabiting a space on their floor. The kid had short blond hair and a rather round face, but as his eyes slid down he couldn't help the frown that spread across his features. Though the coat the blond had on was opened to reveal the bandages wrapped around his ribcage and lower extremities, the detailing in said coat and the designer pants along with the top had that had been found with him all pointed to one thing: this kid, however he got this way, was a noble. If there was one thing he hated with almost as much passion as hearing his father's namesake, it was nobles; the fact that a young noble would be in such a state could only mean trouble for himself and Luffy. Trouble he wasn't sure he wanted to handle with the chance of their secret getting out.

So, there Ace waited in silence for the little noble to wake up, and he would determine what to do from there.

-Sabo-

 _Burning. All Sabo could feel was the intense burning pain racing up and down his frame, even in his semi-cognitive state. 'Am I dead', he thought, 'no, I don't believe I am. If I was I'm sure Hell would be a lot hotter than this'. Insert internal mind chuckle here. In his haze he thought back to the past week, and the events leading up to his ill-advised confession. A truly stupid decision on his part the more and more he thought about it, but to be fair he truly believed with all of his heart that his closet and lifelong friend could have been trusteed by now with his darkest and most well-kept secret. But boy was he wrong, the second he had divulged it and laid his heart out on his sleeve, the little traitor decided to drive a knife right through it by telling practically the first person he could find. Bastard. Maybe that's how he was miraculously alive, maybe they had found him, if they hadn't they would discover he wasn't already dead and come after him anyway. 'Lose lose if you ask me…'_

 _He had been warned numerous times about the near certainty of this exact situation happening by the strange person who would visit on orders from THAT man. But, being the ten year old that he was, he bet all his cards on the flimsy ties of supposed trust, and lost. Not that he could blame his ex-friend, 'if the positions were reversed I probably would have done the exact same thing, I mean who wouldn't', he groggily thought as he desperately began to try to pull himself out of his unconscious state. Sabo wasn't very successful, it was as if something had a hold on his mind, forcing him to stay in the dark._

 _'Hey, you!'_

 _'Yeah you, that sad excuse for a human being', silently Sabo let out a shudder._

' _You deserve this, you deserve to be here, you don't deserve to wake up and see the sky again, or to be what you want most: to be free' a dark and fickle part of himself thought, laughing. The part of him that truly believed those words, the part that deep down knew that they were the cold hard truth. Sabo quickly pushed that part of himself back into the far recesses of his mind scape. 'To be free', those three words were just the fuel he needed to drag himself out of the darkness and back into the world of light._

…

Slowly, letting out a barely audible groan of discomfort Sabo cracked open his eyes to observe his new surroundings. Carefully trying to push himself up with his shaking arms, and was only semi-successful. Drinking in his new surroundings as his gaze drifted all across the room, he noticed that someone had done him the courtesy of patching him up. _How sweet of them._ Sabo appeared too sprawled out on the floor of some sort of wooden shack. _Oh joy!_

It wasn't for several more moments until he noticed a young figure standing in the open doorway; this quickly prompted Sabo to stiffen, ready for whatever this person may have in store, even though he did have a rather large hole currently in his stomach region. _Worry about that later, first figure out if this kid is a friend or foe._ Hesitantly he met the dark gaze of the freckled child, and what he saw he didn't like, cold, pure, hatred. The first words to come out of the menacing kid struck him so hard he almost flinched. Almost.

"So Blondie, care to tell me how you ended up bloody, and half dead in my little brother's arms? I'm curious", that gaze was everything but curious.

 _Well shit._

-?-

"Yes, yes, I will have someone right on it."

Click.

The sound of fast footsteps could be heard accompanied by the swift opening of a door. The steps ground to an abrupt stop.

"Sir, I have just received word about a certain incident pertaining to THAT island."

The man behind the desk stiffened and turned, his full attention now focused on the man in front of him. "Tell me every word", he uttered, and so he heard every word. He did not like what he heard. Several long curses were spoken.

"Leave me!" The man then commanded. All of the possibilities flashed through his mind. There was no way this would go unnoticed, it was now past the point of no return. The day he had hoped would never come.

Another shudder.

A tightly clenched fist.

"So now they will finally be found".

Words spoken to an empty room.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, just the story and the plot. :)**

 **A/N: (Might be a long author's note-sorry) Thank you to those who read/reviewed/favorite/followed the past two chapter. I wasn't expecting so many to view this little story I had come up with in just the three days it has been up. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter, and the next one should be coming out soon. On another note, in a review someone asked about the "weather omens" in the last chapter, and as much as I want to just go out and tell you what they meant and what they could mean in the future, I will leave you with at least a hint to whoever may be reading this. In the anime a certain episode caught my eye when it directly used the weather in a certain instance, and I wanted to delve more into that in this particular story. But if you have any interest as to guess, and get it close enough to right, I will possibly confirm it for you. Suggestions are welcome, and much appreciated. See you next time! Review :)**


	4. Explanations

**-** SABO-

He froze.

Well not literally, but with the strange cold front coming in and the horridly insulated house in which was he currently residing, it wasn't too far of a stretch. This freckled kid in front of him looked ready for murder. Not just a figure of speech, judging by the long metal pipe tucked under his right shoulder.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Breath. It was rather disorienting waking from a painful and near comatose slumber, and to immediately be bombarded by such a glare. It unnerved him. Not that Sabo would ever show it, let alone admit to it. He needed to think of the appropriate response which would best suit the situation, but like the damn unpredictable thing it was, his mind was running a blank. True, he remembered hearing shouts before he passed out, but he knew nothing about some little brother; though that was most likely the mode of transport that brought him to this _palace_.

 _I mean hell,_ he thought frantically, _this person could be thinking I had tried to harm his brother. Shit._ Sabo knew he had to come up with a good plan of action, yet the long and strenuous stretch of silence seemed to have expired.

"I, um," his voice came out faint and parched, almost hurting to breath, "Have you any water? Then I can maybe answer your questions, I suppose it is the least I can do to repay you for patching me up." He tried to speak with the most formality he could muster, but his voice kept cracking and halting throughout his miniature speech. _Have you any water?_ _Oh god, what a stupid thing to ask to the person who could be quite possibly holding you hostage, but at least if he accepts, it will have bought me some time to think of an answer along with a possible way to exit this situation entirely._

A long period of silence followed that last request, and for a moment Sabo thought the boy was going to refuse. He could barely contain his relief when the kid gave a very ridged and curt nod, for which he assumed was meant as an agreement to the terms. Slowly, with his eyes never leaving Sabo, Freckles left the room.

Relief. At least the other kid was a reasonable fellow.

When people say the tension is so thick that it could be cut with a knife, they really aren't kidding.

Sighing heavily as the tension began to dissipate, he considered what he should reveal to this complete stranger. On the one hand if he tells the truth he could end up with the exact same result as the last time he had done so, not that he believed that the other boy would accept anything less than the truth; Sabo somehow knew that lying would probably be the worst possible thing to do at the current time. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't go and out him to the masses; maybe he would be a sympathizer like the couple he had been housed with for the past ten years, and if clothing and demeanor were anything to go by that kid was most certainly not a noble. _I mean what do I have to lose? They already know I exist now and will soon come to find I am most certainly not dead in a ditch by now, and even if I could somehow get a message to THAT man before others come for me, it will be too late. This kid can't possibly be living here by himself, so there is a small possibility of whoever he is housing with will be able to help with my plight. All right new plan: tell the truth but keep the details vague and minimal, but never bring up THAT man's name, at least not yet. Let's hope that's enough._

Sabo was ripped from his deep thoughts as a murky glass of water was shoved in his face.

"Drink." The dark haired boy said, in that same cold and commanding voice he had been using before. _This going to go so south, I can see it now_ , he thought. As the tank top clad, even though it was winter, boy retreated to the other side of the room, Sabo tentatively drank the liquid he had been given, not forgetting the feeling of those grey eyes watching his every move.

His throat felt immensely better after that hydration, after which he sat in silence.

Waiting.

Damn, this silence was nauseating.

Finally, after a sufficient amount of sizing up between the two, the ominous kid spoke again.

A single word.

"Talk."

 **-** ACE-

He didn't know what to make of this kid.

He had been expecting protest upon his request for an explanation or inquires as to where he was, this being what he expected a regular noble child to ask. Ace hadn't been expecting the reaction he had been given.

An agreement.

What a strange choice from a person in his position.

Now, as he watched the boy contemplate what he was going to tell Ace, he couldn't help but feel reassured in a peculiar sense. Somehow he just knew that Blondie hadn't tried to hurt Luffy, so he internally relaxed just a little, but kept his outside defenses up just in case his gut was on the off chance wrong. Several long seconds passed, and soon the kid seemed to have collected himself enough and began to open his mouth to speak.

"While I do not remember your brother taking me to this place, I would first like to thank you for the assistance all the same." Yep, spoken like a true born noble, but Ace's confusion just intensified by the kid's past actions.

Without saying anything, he simply let out a small grunt, prompting the other to continue.

"I live, lived, with a family of nobles up in High Town in the Goa Kingdom, and until just recently, with no troubles to call for." He paused, probably deciding on what to say next. But the wording of that past sentence caught Ace's attention, 'I lived with a family of nobles', and not 'I am a part of a noble family'. Strange indeed.

Another long pause could be felt.

The cold wind could be sensed through the cracks in the wood paneling.

That sound filled the void.

"I was living with them because my biological father couldn't care for me because his current, um, job wouldn't allow for it," All the surety and confidence had left his voice, now coming out shaky and uncertain, "he, let's just say isn't the purest of men. A criminal in truth, and I am told he didn't want me to be persecuted because of who he was, so he trusted me to a family of noble sympathizers to his cause within the city. You know, the whole hide in plain sight principle and all that." Pause.

Now Ace was almost dreading what was going to next come out of this kid's mouth. His story was the near carbon copy of himself and Lu's. _Shit_. He could tell where this was going, and to his surprise a large flush anger began to well up inside of his chest. This random kid he had just happened upon was in the exact same fricking boat him and his brother were in. _Shit_.

"One of the people he works with checks in from time to time so that I at least know he isn't dead yet. Not that I remember the man, I don't believe I have ever even met him. But, just recently I made the stupid choice of telling my closest friend the truth, and he betrayed my trust by going and telling nearly the whole town. There was nothing my step parents could do. I made a run for it. I was met at the gates by a large gathering of town guards who I was barely able to escape from after a fight broke out."

"Good thing my absent father, from wherever he is, decided one of his coworkers should give me self defense training. But one of the bastards still standing got in a lucky shot with his gun," Blondie gestured towards his bandages, "The idiot probably thought I would die from the blood loss, and that is why I think they didn't immediately follow after me. But soon when they don't find a body, they will come to realize that I am very much alive. I was heading through the forest because I had heard there was a village not far away, but with the snow and the blood, I passed out before I could find it. Then I woke up here."

More unwanted silence.

It took Ace a while to process all of the new information he had just received. Immediately he felt a small yearning kinship with this kid. From what he could guess, the boy struggled with the same need to hide the very truth about who he really was, in the same way that Ace did. He wanted to help, he actually did, but one blaring factor arose that made him reconsider that. If this kid truly had a parent notorious enough that his child would be hunted for it, then that meant that if and when those guards discover he really isn't dead they'll call for reinforcements; the Government. The Marines. And the trail to him would lead right back to this very building, to Ace and Luffy, quite possibly to finding the two sons of the Pirate King.

Ever so slightly, he let his face soften, meeting the bright blue gaze of the blonde, letting the other know that he accepted that explanation. Azure eyes widened a fraction in surprise, as if not expecting such an affirmation.

Ace made a decision. Whoever this kid truly was he deserved a fair shot, just as much as Lu does to live away from persecution. He would do what he could to help Blondie, as long as it didn't endanger his little brother, but first he couldn't just go around calling this kid 'Blondie' all the time. Introductions were in order.

"I'm Ace. The idiot who dragged you here, that's my little brother Luffy." He cautiously let a small sympathetic smile to grace his lips. Small, mind you.

If they could, those eyes widened even more as the kid responded.

"Sabo. My name is Sabo."

A smile could be seen on Sabo's face as well.

Like looking in a mirror.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only this story and the plot :)**

 **A/N: Another long author's not for those of you who read them. Thank you again for all of the views, visits, follows, reviews and favorites! I mean, over 840 views for the less than a wake the past three chapters have been posted! I hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to stick with it through the coming updates. I know, Luffy will be playing a larger role in the coming chapters, but I needed this Sabo and Ace dynamic established in this chapter. Again for the fun of it. Sorry, I basically just write these for the hell of it. I hope I was able to capture the character's personalities and nuances correctly. Oh, if you are reading this, reviewer** **YJV** **, that is a very creative guess, but not correct; think more obscure within the original plot. If anyone has anymore guesses then please send them to me if you would like to do so, otherwise enjoy this overly long author's note. Suggestions are wanted and appreciated! See you next time! Review :)**

 **-Echo**


	5. Planning

-ACE-

Okay, so maybe Ace slightly underestimated how difficult it would truly be to get Sabo out of his predicament.

Well, maybe extremely underestimated is more like it.

The more he thought about it, the more he could see the holes in his planning and logic. After their miniature truce, Sabo and Ace went through possible ideas and strategies, all while trying not to wake Luffy. _God, I can NOT handle that idiot right now,_ he had thought.

There were three main possible courses of action.

Plan number one: probably the shakiest of them all, was to have Sabo wait out an impending inquiry by the Marines and local officials around the island in the forest, and wish for the best. Luckily both of them knew no extremely drastic investigating measures would be taken on such flimsy and unsubstantiated claims made by a mere child, they would first need proof; at least they sincerely hoped that was the case.

Plan number two: Wait it out in the village, but that idea was vetoed early on.

Plan number three: this was the most promising compared to the other two. It would be to help Sabo 'commandeer', one of the boats down at the docks so he could get away before any unwanted faces would come to find his person.

Ace estimated that it would take about a day and a half for the Government to put together a good group of Marines to find out the current situation. But he still had to remember that that number was just a mere estimate, the true determining factor would be the notoriety of the blond boy's father, and as much as he wanted to pry at him to find out who it could possibly be, he knew he had to respect the kid's secrets; lord only knows he would do the exact same thing if he was in Sabo's shoes.

The greatest issue with this entire operation, the one thing that could blow the entire thing out of the water:

Luffy.

The kid wouldn't know how to keep his mouth shut about something even if that something had a huge slab of meat attached to it. Ace still had to wake, or inform the seven year old about the plan, but he knew he would have to do it soon. He had no doubt that Lu could fulfil his side of the job, but what scared him the most was the real possibility that the kid would let loose about the op to some random person on the street. _Yeah, if I hadn't pressured him so much, he would have told just about everybody he could that he was The Pirate King's son the first chance he could get._

Leaving the blond to his own devices for a brief moment, he slipped out of the room silently to check on the brother in question.

Still fast asleep, his face looked so peaceful, although faint red stains still marred his small hands and shirt. Only the small shifting of his closed eyes displayed any movement. In this small moment of tranquility Ace allowed himself to wonder what his little brother was dreaming.

He never would have been able to guess.

-LUFFY-

 _It was so cold._

 _No. Correction, he was cold._

' _Why?'_

 _He couldn't move._

 _Someone was calling his name, but he couldn't tell who; he felt he should know, yet its disembodied tone gave him no recollection of a face. He tried to call back, but nothing came forth from his lips. It was as if he was there, but not really. Luffy couldn't make sense of it either way._

 _The wind and rain were picking up._

 _Oddly, three strange and distinct feelings could be felt from deep within his chest._

 _Fear. That was recognizable._

 _But there was something else. Something much worse. Pain._

 _Even stranger was that, in a way, Luffy could tell that it wasn't just his pain._

 _The voices. Yes, now he could hear more than one, all shouting. Slowly and carefully he cracked open his eyes to see the blurry scene around him. He could just barely make out the distorted figures of four persons. A dark and haunting sound cut through the static, a laugh; that he could hear clear as day._

 _Suddenly, a truly terrifying noise reached his ears._

 _One of the silhouettes collapsed to the ground below._

 _A high pitched scream echoed in the storm. His own._

 _Finally he had found his voice._

 _That third feeling was not truly a feeling, but a sensation. One that hit his soul like a blade. He could feel it, that which permeated the air._

 _Death._

…

Luffy shot up from his place on the floor, straight out of his slumber. Letting out ragged breaths and all while focusing on his eerily lucid and vivid dream, he failed to notice Ace rushing to his side, trying to diagnose the cause of his little brother's panic. _It felt so real, it had to have been,_ he internally mumbled as he tried to piece his frazzled thoughts together. Much to his dismay, yet at the same time relief the details of the dream slowly began to fade as the moments passed by. He tried desperately to grab onto the dwindling threads of the near memory, but to no avail.

Even though he finally came to the realization that his big brother was trying to get his attention, Luffy let his attention shift solely on finding his hat; said object lay just to his right, letting his shaking arm reach out for it. The usually cheery boy tried to internally rationalize that he shouldn't be concerned about something that was so obviously a figment of his imagination; now, though he could just faintly still recollect the details, the sense of foreboding still hung fresh in his subconscious mind.

But he knew he had to focus on something more important than his dream, the dying kid from the forest is what truly mattered. That he could deal with later; Luffy also believed that it wouldn't be good to tell Ace, _he would probably just call me a cry baby again._

Placing his worn straw hat upon his head, he briefly let it shadow over his eyes making his brother go silent. Whipping his chin up to face Ace he plastered a large toothy grin on and across his features.

"Don't worry Ace, it was just a dream!" He declared with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. His big brother gave him an appraising dubious glance that yelled 'like hell that was just a dream', but Luffy must have sold it enough because he backed off and beckoned his little brother to follow. Quickly scrambling off the wood panels, he followed right on Ace's heels into the adjoining room.

There he came face to face with the blond haired kid he had dragged back through the woods. He looked much better than when he had found him. _Well he was covered in blood, and bleeding out before so yeah, he looks much better._ As the bandaged boy made a move to stand, Luffy absentmindedly wondered if Ace had given the blue eyed one any meat, that would most certainly explain why he was doing so well. At least that's what he thought. _Oh well, he ain't dead, and that's what counts!_

Subtle nod in agreement with self.

Ace glanced between the two and sighed, "Alright, Sabo meet idiot younger brother. Luffy meet Sabo. Okay, good, meet and great shit's now done and gone. Luffy, I'm gonna explain this nice and slow so your brain can process it…"

His brother's voice continued to ramble on about some sort of plan or other, but he focused mainly on the blond as his grin was made genuine.

Though the boy lacked the age and the smile, he had the same air about him that Shanks did; also like with Ace. He knew he made the right choice in saving him.

It gave him a chance to have something he desperately wanted, smoothing that the red-head and elder brother had given him.

The chance to make a new friend.

-SABO-

After the brief few hours he had known the younger of the two siblings, he could now understand why Ace was concerned about the security of the plans, man was that Luffy kid dense. It had taken more time to explain the whole situation to him than it had trying to put the fricking plans together. Though, even if he had only just met them both a little while prior, he trusted in an odd fashion that Ace wouldn't double cross him and toss his body to the dogs. Throwing that thought on the back burner, Sabo brought himself back to the present.

After making sure that none of the grumpy ass bandits, which he could scarcely believe those brothers lived with, noticed their absence they began to set the plan into motion. All three waited in anticipation in the alley between several close buildings, hoping the opportune moment would soon present itself. Even though he had been informed by Luffy that the towns people were nice and wouldn't mind, he and Ace knew they couldn't just go up and steal a boat and not have anyone notice. That would be just too risky even a quaint village like this one.

From this vantage point they could view the harbor and all the people who would pass by. Though it was still early in the morning so the likelihood of someone being out so early was highly unlikely, which is what made it the best time for Sabo's escape. Luckily there were a few vessels that stayed at the docks year round for inland fishing, so he wouldn't be stranded without a means of transport.

Each member of the small ensemble carried a long length of metal pipe in case trouble arose; Ace had been generous enough to lend him his spare before they made the trek down the mountain side.

The moon had long since left the sky and as the last few rays of sunshine rose above the distant horizon line, the young trio saw something that made their collective hearts and blood run cold. _I guess Ace's calculations were off._

Approaching the island was a group of ships, which were just close enough to make out the distinct sigil on the multiple flags. The very thing that could screw all of them over.

Not merchants.

Not even pirates.

Worse.

Marines.

 _We just might need those pipes after all._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only this story and the plot**

 **A/N: yay! Another chapter finished! Sorry for the wait, but I had some stuff I needed to take care of. Next one should also be out relatively soon. Thank you again to those of you who viewed/followed/favorite/reviewed for the past few chapters. In the next few chapters the events should be picking up in speed. Also, care to take a guess about Luffy's dream that small detail may or may not come into play in the future; sorry it was so dark and vague but all will be revealed in time (imaginary dramatic hand waving to add to the effect). Maybe.**

 **To** **YJV** **again, another good guess but no, and also, while they themselves may not necessarily accept their own last names, that factor will come into play in just a little bit; keep on guessing.**

 **I really hope you all enjoyed reading this, and will continue. I know brief Sabo, but oh well. I know this is a generic Author's note, but I still do them just because. I am debating brining one of the Four Emperors, or one of the Seven Warlords into the main plot line, but I am afraid it would feel too much like an 'ASL with Whitebeard Story' or something along those same lines, if you know what I mean; tell me how you feel about it or if you have any possible thoughts on who it should be. Suggestions are welcome and appreciated. See you next time! Next chapter has Marines! Review**


	6. Bar

-ACE-

Six.

Six naval vessels could be counted coming from the south along the island's foreshore.

Six more than there should have been.

Try as he might Ace could not think of a worse sight to come upon on such frigid morn.

He looked over at Luffy on his left, seeing that he had confused expression marring his features, which let on to his lack of understanding to the gravity of the situation. Then Ace glanced at Sabo to his right, but already knowing what he would soon find. Terror. Disdain. Sorrow. Though the blond missed his cursory once over, he could tell that had they made eye contact, Sabo would have seen parallel emotions mirrored in his own.

The gritting of teeth was almost hard enough to be heard.

 _Try not to panic…_

 _Screw that, of course I should be panicking, the god damn Marines are here way earlier than I fricking anticipated; now we have no way of getting Sabo out with the Goa Kingdom at our backs, and the water cut off from us at our fronts. Think. Think. Think. You can figure this shit out. You can get us out of the crap situation that we just fell into._

Letting out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding, Ace watched as the air released dissipated in the cold. He turned his attention back to the ships fast approaching on the docks. Assessing the current conditions from his knowledge learned by living on the island, and the local fishermen that frequented the area, Ace knew that with such a favorable system of tailwinds the small flotilla would be there within the hour; at best.

 _Not a whole hell of a lot of time to strategize if you ask me._

 _Ok, time for plan B. Oh wait, there was no plan B._

 _Damn, to many effing plot twists for my liking lately._

"Well so much for a day and a half," the blond trailed off, leaving his statement to fall stagnant in the air.

Ace almost had the urge to either voice his begrudging agreement, or turn and scream at the other boy that this was all his fault. Though it took some effort, he managed to calm the anger in his heart. Whether he liked it or not, and whether the Marines had just shown up on their bloody doorstep or not, and whether Sabo may be the cause of their presence or not, he had to do something. Anything. Ace had agreed to help, dragging his little brother along for the ride. And as stupid as it sounded, his own pride just couldn't let him give up on his word.

And if he was being completely honest, he knew that getting Sabo the hell out of dodge was now the only true way to secure Lu and his own anonymity. The blue eyed pseudo-noble had seen them, and if he was caught by the Marines, than the resulting interrogation would lead straight back to them as accessories.

 _That shit will be the death of me. Ugh…_

"Ok. Ok. Screw this. Luffy, Sabo, let's fall back and try to think up a new plan, cause even with that shit out there I still plan on seeing this through," Ace proclaimed, dramatically gesturing out towards the bay as he got up from his crouched position. Sabo merely nodded in silent agreement, and followed suit. Lu looked like he wanted to protest, but the hard glare his brother shot him was enough to get the message across.

Travelling back to the other end of the alley, he scanned the rows of homes and shops; eyes landing on one in particular. A brilliant idea hit him with enough force to make him stumble. Literally. Having been unaware that he had stopped to look at the locale, Luffy, the oblivious dummy that he was, ran right into Ace's back; which in turn earned Lu a hard cuff on the head, and a small nervous snicker from Sabo.

 _Why the hell didn't I think of this before?!_

Insert shining lightbulb overhead.

-SABO-

Watching the gears spin in the freckled boy's head, Sabo knew another plan was beginning to formulate. Too bad he wasn't currently being informed on what exactly those plans where. He just knew that he just needed to have a little faith. If one would consider faith to be the right word for that particular context.

 _Well it's not like I got anything to lose._

Trailing behind Ace, Sabo internally frowned as they neared the last place his mind assumed they would be heading.

A bar.

Slowly, the other boy reached the side entrance and tested the knob for the tell-tale sound of lock tumblers. After a brief seconds pause, the handle twisted round full circle, opening the door. Unlocked. The low hiss of the base frame against wood sent shivers down his spine, and emoted an irritating note of compliant from the resident halfwit behind him.

Not even bothering to ask why, Sabo graciously entered the establishment as directed and took a moment to merely observe the new setting. The soft morning light filtered in through the semi-closed shutters, casting a sepia sheen across the furnishings. Chairs and tables where placed around the main room in no discernable order, and a well-stocked bar to his left could be seen. The blond watched as freckled boy scoped the place out, while his younger counterpart drifted slowly and not at all subtly back toward the food stock room. After some silent rifling through various cabinets, the elder seemed to have found the object for which he was searching for.

A brown leather bag.

Meeting eyes, Sabo lifted a single brow, "A bag. That's your plan? How in the hell is a god damned bag gonna help me?" He whispered in a deathly quiet voice.

"Have a little heart Blondie, I may live with the dumbest group of mountain apes, and an annoying as heck little brother, but I do have a plan," Ace responded with a smirk. Quickly he started filling the bag with various provisions, water canteens, and a bottle of Sake for reasons unbeknownst to him. It then clicked in his head. It all made sense. He had completely forgotten about the supplies he would need for his trip, so this new set of actions by Freckles now made perfect sense. It only made him a little bitter that he hadn't remembered it himself. Sabo always felt that he prided himself on his intelligence.

 _Oh well…_

 _At least one of us did…_

As he stood there he almost missed something the boy said under his breath, which sounded something like an apology to some person by the namesake of 'Makino'. His money was on that being the owner of this here restaurant. Sabo's estimate was right when he noticed the younger watching Ace with an unreadable expression, soon to be replaced by a dismissive smile.

"I'm sure It'll be okay Ace, Makino won't be to mad. At least I don't think she will… Yeah, no she'll know that I'll just repay it later with my treasure fund," Luffy exclaimed, grin only growing impossibly wider.

"Treasure fund?" Sabo asked incredulously.

"Boy, you don't even want to ask that question. You'll sooner get your head talked off. Trust me," the other ten year old warned in a grave tone. The blue-eyed boy had to suppress his own smile which nearly made its way onto his mouth, even in light of his tense predicament.

After finishing his packing, Ace began to look through the shelves he hadn't already inspected. Soon following another five minutes of searching he gently pulled out a sleeping transponder snail; most likely what the proprietor used to make all of their calls, since it had no distinguishing features for one particular caller like Sabo had read about.

While the other one wasn't looking, Luffy accidentally knocked over a jar of pickled meats that he had been intently observing. Both Sabo and Ace whipped around at the shockingly loud noise. The seven year old looked back and forth between the other two and the broken glass with an equally shocked and guilty look. "You bloody idio…"Ace hissed, but was cut off at the last minute by the sound of footsteps and a door opening on the floor above.

"Hello? Who's there?" A groggy and distinctly female voice called out.

It was chaos after that.

All three boys ran about like chickens with their heads cut off, trying desperately to clean up the evidence of their presence and get out before further incrimination; steps could be heard coming down a flight of stairs like the chimes of a clock. Let's just say that in all the fuss they didn't notice the entrance to the eating area opening, to reveal a woman dressed a short night gown, with shoulder length green hair messed up from sleep.

"What in the world is going on in here? Hmmm?" A soft and deceptively sweet voice asked.

In almost slow motion and synchronization, the trio turned in horror.

Ace was frozen in the act of throwing the bag of contraband over his shoulder, with a few items strewn around; snail and pipe in hand. Sabo was caught in the act of running toward the door from which they came. And Luffy could be seen with a piece of meat hanging limply from his now open jaw, arms reached out toward the shattered container on the floor.

The woman's narrowed eyes grazed over each of them with a piercing amount of clarity. Finally her eyes landed on the weakest link of the group. Ace's eyes widened in terror, and Sabo assumed he also knew what was going to come next.

"Luffy, dear would please be kind enough to tell me what you three could possibly be doing? And I do most sincerely hope you have a good answer for me," the lady stated, with a grin that could scare the likes of the devil himself.

 _Maybe I have someone worse than the Marines to worry about…_

-ACE-

It was exactly as he had feared it would happen.

The second Luffy met Makino's gaze of death, it all came out like water flooding a dam.

 _I knew this brat wouldn't be able to keep a fricking secret!_

So in the end, following Lu's suit, they had no choice but to spill all the beans, or face the wrath of the verdant haired demon. Surprisingly enough, the young lady sat through their ultimately short yet long at the same time tale, with not a word of utterance on her part. After much talking over one another, they reached the end with a vocalization of Ace's new plan which involved: 1- gathering supplies, 2-hiding in the storage cellar bellow the bar, and 3-calling a certain individual with the stolen communication device, who he knew would be able to help the blond in some fashion.

Silence.

The children waited as Makino continued looking off into the middle distance, thinking lord only knows what. Ace focused absently on clenching and unclenching his fists, while watching his brother nervously chew on another piece of beef.

Finally, Makino spoke.

"Well, I can see what inspired you to go to such lengths," turning her head to Sabo, "and as much as I want to say that you should have went to an adult for help instead of a seven and a ten year old, I can understand and except why you didn't."

The blond looked at her, shocked, through blue orbs, "But… We… I… Really?"

"Yes really, and Luffy might I remind you to not eat with your mouth open while we're at it," Lu closed his mouth with an embarrassed pout, "And Ace, if you need food for your new friend you could have just asked," Makino pointed out; to which Ace turned away with a ashamed frown.

"Now, about the rest of your plan, I have an idea that may just help. Now over here…" She stopped mid-sentence as faint yells and shouts could be heard off in the distance. That only could mean one thing. The thing Ace had nearly forgotten about. Nearly, not like anyone could truly forget.

The Marines had finally made it to the docks.

Without a seconds pause or hesitation, Makino stood and ushered them from their seats back to the storage room which was located just below the floorboards. Honestly, you didn't have to ask any of them twice. Grabbing the bag, pipe, and snail Ace held open the hatch for Sabo and Lu, before following in behind them. Briefly he met the lady's brown eyes, and they made a noiseless understanding, to which Makino only nodded in agreement. As the latch finally closed he knew that she would do everything in her power keep the Marines off their trail; and this was all with only having met her a handful of times in the past few years. But he could trust her and that what really counted.

The minutes waiting in the partial darkness for something, anything, to happen where agonizing; feeling like they dragged on for hours. Eventually, the shouts made their way to the bar, ushered in by the loud banging of a door being thrown open.

Ace could merely hold his breath, and wait along with his companions. The foot falls of about six men could be heard by his estimate, loud and deliberate.

"How can I help you fine sirs?" Makino's voice echoed through the slats in the wood, welcoming yet stiff.

One of the sets of feet neared their hiding spot. Ace could feel the body next to him tense.

"We are here on the reports that someone who is of interest to the World Government has been hiding out among the nobles of High Town, which potentially could have posed a threat," a high pitched male voiced, most likely the highest ranking among them, "and there is also reason to believe that the person in question is now somewhere within this town."

Closer.

Just a bit tenser.

 _You know why._

 _Don't look over._

"Oh?" Makino asked, "I would love to help you officers any way I can. And what, may I so humbly ask, does this 'person of interest look like'? I can't know for sure if I've seen them if I don't even know what they look like." Yes, the stiffness is very present.

The swish of a cloak, or coat.

Closer.

"I don't see how it is any of your concern, _woman_ ," the word was almost spat out. Ace could imagine the look of distaste on the soldier's face, "We were given orders to search every home, establishment, and ship."

A little closer now.

Ace finally looks over at Luffy.

Something he wished wouldn't be there was.

In the dim light of the cellar he can see the tightness to his shoulders, and a dangerous glint in his gaze, somewhere between terrified and downright murderous. Like a cornered animal. _Shit. I should have seen this coming._ Ever since the departure of the boy's red haired pirate friend, and the incident that had nearly gotten himself, Luffy, and several others killed, Lu hadn't quite been the same. Still annoying as hell, loud as shit, and the same amount of idiot, but just a little bit more toned down. Not that Luffy could remember the event, at least Ace didn't think he could. Whenever he brought it up he would be immediately shot down. This wasn't supposed to go like this. They should have been able to get Sabo out without a hitch.

 _This can't be happening, can it?_

 _We need to deescalate this situation._

 _Now._

Softer steps moved just about a foot from the door, Makino, almost as if to shield it from view. The heavier set just moves closer. Stop.

Another minute of scuffling feet. More searching. This time a deeper voice spoke, "Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to move so I can see the area behind you."

Now even Sabo begins to notice Lu's odd behavior, shooting Ace a look that read 'what's up with your little brother'. He merely shook his head in response, tightening his grip on his pipe, which the blond also astutely picked up on.

 _Shit's about to go to hell if Makino can't persuade them to go in another direction._

"I'm sorry I can't do that. I store air sensitive material back here and if you go searching through it, the stock will be ruined. You wouldn't want that would you?" The faintest hint of desperation could be heard slipping into her tone.

"Lady, frankly I don't give a shit what happens to your 'stock'," Deep Voice stated, slightly irritated now, "I'm only gonna ask once more, please move aside."

Neck and Neck.

To close.

 _Damn._

"I'm sorry," this time Makino spoke it softer, and only the boys new who that apology was truly for. In his peripheral Ace can see Luffy lower into a crouch. He almost wants to reach out a calming hand. But he knows better. _Shit, there's no avoiding it now._ Then, in a much darker voice, "I simply can't let you go through."

 _Thanks for trying, truly, Makino._

Breathe.

"Move out of the way god damnit!" A shift forward.

"No."

Slap.

The sound of a hand hitting flesh echoed loud like a gunshot.

A small cry of pain. And that was all it took.

The last straw.

 _I'm sorry Sabo. Luffy._

It happened in an instant. The flutter of a hat hitting the floor. A growl that barely could be considered human. The barest glimpse of bright yellow eyes. A streak of black, a spot of orange. The creaking of a large weight on wood was the only warning Ace got.

The next thing he knew, a rain of splinters came cascading down upon him.

And lots of red.

A shower of freshly spilled blood.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only this story and the plot**

 **A/N: Hi again! I know it has been a long while since I have posted a new chapter, and I'm sincerely sorry for that, but some stuff came up in my life that took precedent. You know with hurricanes, school, midterms, broken bone; y'all get the gist. I hope you all who may be reading this like the direction in which you think this story will be going. And yes there will be a lot more from Lu's point of view next time. About Luffy's devil fruit, I just wanted to try something unique from which I as a writer could develop on, and create as part of the overarching story instead of using the already existing one. It will be fully explained later on. And lastly, for the future of this story I wanted to make it something entirely new in terms of plotline, which you will see in the coming chapters** **, while at the same time still being able to exist in the One Piece Universe. (Hint: Think Warm….). I hope you enjoyed this, and see you next time. Review** **.**

 **Happy New Year!**


	7. Escape

-SABO-

When he was young, Sabo would dream of monsters.

Maybe he still did, one could never be too sure.

Not the kind of monsters in myths, or legends. The real ones. The ones that walked the Earth, with faces of human flesh, yet hiding the stain beneath. A different kind of demon than he was. At night, when the mind tends to drift, his would wander to the stories he had always grown up hearing; further exaggerated by the type of people that lived in his vicinity, who by any right were beasts themselves.

But it wasn't nightmares that would haunt him. Sabo could never quite understand it, the sole fascination he had with something he would likely never see, let alone meet. He would later come to think of it as a way of coping, a way of quantifying the similarities between himself and something more powerful and terrifying than he could ever be.

Perhaps that is why seeing one in real life filled him with such an odd combination of emotions. Interest. Curiosity. Fear. How strange in retrospect. Those large yellow eyes so horrifying, yet Sabo couldn't find it within himself to care, even with the red dripping from its maw. No, not it. He knew this demon, this animal. He cursed himself for not noticing the signs sooner, so blind.

Luffy.

A friend?

An ally?

Did he even recognize Sabo in that state?

The last he saw of the other boy was in the dark cramped cellar, seconds after the marine had slapped Makino. What was left of the little kid's confliction had entirely vanished from his features, as something else seemed to take over. Primal. Hungry. And this was all in a matter of seconds. Sabo wasn't sure what truly happened in the next few moments because the minute that door exploded outward his self-preservation instincts kicked in, and he dropped to the floor as fast as he could, hands reaching up to protect his head. In the frenzy he had forgotten about his injury and the fall onto the now jagged floorboards sent all of his lingering pain into overdrive.

The world lost its focus.

A brief black out.

Sabo didn't know how long. Only the agony that came with waking up once again. It took him a little while to remember exactly where he was, and why he was there. _Shit! Ace, Luffy, are they okay? Am I okay?_ Looking around the now ruined area, Sabo could find neither of them, which was either a really good or a really bad sign. The ringing in his ears had not left, so only the faintest of yelling could be heard. Slowly, and experimentally he hefted himself gingerly to a rough standing position. Though splotches of red had begun to bleed through his once pristine bandages, he didn't need to be a genius to figure out that the liquid speckled across his blue jacket wasn't his. The question remained: if it wasn't Sabo's, then who in the hell was its'?

Ignoring the dull throbbing in his skull he staggered in the semi-dark, hands outstretched, searching for the now damaged ladder. But the boy stopped short at the sight of a straw hat, laying amongst the debris. For year to come Sabo still won't be able to describe what compelled him to take the old hat along with him. Now, with a great amount of effort he was able to lift his body through what remained of the storage door, its shards spread in an almost halo around him. The intensity of the morning light hit him hard, prompting a hiss from his tightly clenched teeth. _God damn, how long have I been out? It can't have been more than a few minutes, right?_

 _Right?!_

Hand reaching out for leverage, it was met with a strange lumpy mass covered in what felt like wet fabric. Sabo's heart stopped in his chest, eyes slowly clearing to finally rest on what his reach had found; the sight turning his blood ice cold. A man lay sprawled across the exposed wooden panels, blood pooling around him; claw marks raking neatly down the front of what must have been a Marine uniform. His eyes were wide in what could only be described as pure and utter terror, mouth open in an unspoken scream.

 _Oh god…._

Something inside of the blonde's stomach lurched.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it…

Gingerly stepping over the remains, trying not to wonder about what could cause such damage, he was immediately met with an even more disturbing picture: the woman who had helped them just moments before, lying in a heap against the counter. Moving as fast as his aching legs could take him, Sabo only hoped that Makino didn't meet the same fate as the man from before. Trembling fingers fumbling for the limp woman's wrist, he searched desperately for a pulse; a technique he had read from one of his many books. _Looks like I needed those after all, huh._

Relief flooded his veins as a faint, but steady beat could be registered. _Just unconscious. She must have banged her head after the officer hit her._ Carefully grabbing the woman's slim frame to move her to a more comfortable position, he tried to ignore the glowing purple welt blooming across the left side of her face. As much as he wanted to be there in person when she woke up, he didn't have the time; Sabo needed to find Ace and Luffy, quick. Those two were his top priority. Throwing one last furtive glance over his shoulder at the green haired woman, he whispered a soft prayer and a low, "I'm so sorry". The blue eyed boy was by no means a religious person, it was simply too illogical to him, but if there ever was a good time for some mighty divine intervention, right then would have been great.

 _All of this is my fault, if I hadn't dragged anyone into my own shit show of a life none of this would have happened. Makino wouldn't have gotten hurt, and the others wouldn't be in danger._

He internally cursed.

Stepping through the battered remains of the bar's front room, avoiding the broken legs of tables and chairs, he slowly regained some of his senses. The once low yelling turned loud as the fuzz in his ears began to filter out, leaving only the hollow echo in his chest cavity. Several other bodies were strewn around the room, whether they were dead or alive, Sabo couldn't tell. Just then he remembered the pipe slung across his back, which he promptly brandished in front of himself as he walked out the wrecked establishment; the chilly breeze whipping at his coat tails.

Nothing could have prepared him for this.

Whatever 'this' was.

Plumes of dust filled the town square, barely obscuring the dark stains marring the ground; in the distance the six Navy ships could be seen, maybe an hour off shore. _They must have sent a search party delegation ahead of the main group. There might still be a chance that word hadn't gotten back to the fleet._ All around, faces could be picked out through shadowed window panes, riveted on the scene in front of them, but obviously too scared to go outside into the thick of it. There, right in the central stretch of road was an image that was both the most horrifying, and morbidly hilarious picture Sabo had ever laid eyes upon.

A group of petrified looking marines, rifles shaking in their hands, stood opposite to Ace and a massive tiger. The freckled boy looked torn between shouting insults at the soldiers, and talking in soothing tones at the beast; which both seemingly hadn't noticed the blonde's presence yet. The piece of metal white-knuckled in the other kid's hand was held ramrod straight in front of him, with his left arm curled almost protectively over the satchel with their supplies. This must have been difficult for him, considering the trail of blood leaking down from his shoulder; probably from a lucky shot. His hair was sprinkled with wood fragments, and the clothes even more out of sorts than usual.

Then for the briefest of moments the world seemed to pause.

Wind shifting its course.

A minute twitch of the tiger's dripping jaw.

Suddenly great yellow eyes fixated right on Sabo's form, another low growl passing from the creature's barred teeth; almost as if seeing another threat. The boy's heart stuttered; breath halting in his chest. Shaking his head, Sabo gathered what little courage he could muster, and met that steely gaze.

The world stilled.

Silence followed, and with it came the faintest flicker of something in those orbs.

Recognition.

Then, without warning, life resumed. Its' eyes narrowed by the slightest of degrees; once again reclaiming their hostile light. _This is it._ He couldn't even react as the beast suddenly lunged; fangs glinting and claws extended. No time to breathe, no time to move, and no time to think.

Only time to wait, wait for the end.

-LUFFY-

 _Left…Threat…_

 _Right…Threat…_

 _All dangers to dark haired little human; he is our brother. The other, the light haired little human, he is new. A threat? No, he is a friend; carrying the scent of blood, his own. This boy must be protected. From who? The bigger humans in blue and white reek of fear and hatred. They will hurt us. We must not let that happen._

 _Protect the brother and the friend._

 _Our eye contact with little blond is broken now, there is another large human coming up behind him. He is likely hoping to attack our friend's back. We will not let that happen. Our heart begins to race, the sound echoing in our ears. Everything comes into focus, and all of our muscles tense in unison; we are ready. The wind brushes past, rustling our fur; excitement, apprehension, and hunger fill us at once. Hunger for safety. Hunger to protect. Hunger for blood. Though, it is unclear what desire comes from the both of us; it does not matter._

 _We are one._

 _Nothing can hold us back as we tear into this threat; charging past the small human we must save._

 _This is what we want._

 _This is our purpose._

-ACE-

For a terrifying second, just the briefest stretch of time, Ace thinks Luffy is actually going to kill Sabo; that his other form is too lost in bloodlust to stop themselves. It is one of the worst feelings he has ever had the displeasure of experiencing. All of their planning to save the boy would have been for nothing, and the guilt, oh the guilt, would have ruined his baby brother. _Just like last time, but this go around, I'll have to explain why the person we were trying so hard to help was dead._ It was almost a blessing that he was the only person around who remembered.

 _You couldn't stop it then either._

 _Why would you be able to stop it now?_

After Lu had shifted, everything blurred, and Ace simply couldn't remember all of it. The screams of officers, the terrible splintering noise of broken wood, and the low growl that had no business coming from that idiot's mouth all filled his ears. Now, as he watches that giant feline version of his brother leap past the blond boy, ripping into the Marine sneaking up behind him, it's almost as if all of the air has left his lungs; words catching in his throat before they can be spoken.

Not even a disturbance in the cool morning breeze.

Just the warm spray of blood dusting across his front.

He would never admit it, but right then, Ace was scared shitless. He hated that this was a situation he couldn't fix by beating something up; he liked being the strong one, in control. And right now, the freckled kid was most certainly not in control. Guns on all sides, and a raging tiger of a sibling to boot.

 _We're so screwed._

As Lu _dealt_ with said marine, he chanced a glance over at Sabo, whose frame was stock still; most likely thinking that death was upon him. Bright new stains of pink marred the once clean bandages wrapped around the boy's torso, reminding Ace once again of the burning pain pooling through his shoulder; which, in the heat of the moment, the boy seemed to forget about. Once he had gotten out of the bar, a stray bullet had clipped that meaty part of his arm. _It hurts like a bitch, but don't worry about it now, just focus on getting out of this situation. Quick._

The naval officers still seemed too shocked and wary to approach, though their yelling had once again resumed when their comrades body hit the dirt. _Good, this buys me a second to think, that's all I need. Just one minute to plan. Thank all possible gods for these fools' incompetence._

Contrary to popular belief, the curly haired kid actually had a good amount of intelligence rolling around in his thick skull; only, he hid it well enough that it was always underestimated. It came quite in handy when people expected you to be as dumb as a brick; growing up with bandits kind of gives you that vibe. Since his first plan seemed to fail so spectacularly, his ten year old self needed to now account for all possible contingencies. _Calm down and think, there's nothing you can't handle,_ Ace thought to himself; repeating that mantra enough times that he almost believed it.

Gradually, a course of action formed.

That same lightbulb from earlier appeared over his head.

 _Bingo._

While they were focusing on the massive tiger, _my brother,_ he carefully slipped the pipe under his injured arm and as subtly as possible rifled through the leather bag with his other hand. After an eternity of searching, his fingers finally found the object they were looking for. Just in time too, because those marines still left standing were beginning to take aim again; caution leaving their forms.

Digits fumbled for the right movements. _I only have one shot, I better get this right._

 _Please… Please… Please work…_

One man is now staring down the barrel of his rifle. Ready to fire.

Wring… Wring… Wring… Click…

 _Oh thank god._ All movement stopped as a loud irritated voice filled the town square, crackling with static. "Hello, Garp here, whoever this is, leave a message or call that bastard Sengoku; tell him I'm busy right now," and to be honest, Ace had never been more relieved to hear that crappy old gramp's voice; barely even registering the harsh edge to the man's words. The sound of a Navy Vice-Admiral, especially that of such an _esteemed_ war hero, was bound to turn heads; which was what Ace was betting on. All of the commotion stopped at the presence of this new voice, prompting all of the present Marines to look around in confusion.

 _Holy shit, it worked._

"Hello…Hello?" Garp echoed, answered by nothing but silence. This was a turn of events the soldiers had clearly not anticipated. Taking this opportunity and running with it, the freckled boy began to inch over to where Sabo and Luffy were positioned around the dead officer. Sifting once again through the satchel, he began to set up the next phase of his ramshackle plan.

 _This distraction is only going to last so long._

Being within a good two meters of the blond, he finally met those scared blue eyes; almost trying to telegraph his plan to the other boy. That azure gaze flicked down to what now rested in Ace's palm. The keys to their success. He could see the kid put together to pieces of the puzzle, gaze widening a fraction; the slightest nod was made in his direction, a confirmation. It seems only now the Marines noticed his shift in position. Said boy was almost shoulder to shoulder with Sabo at this point; the hot breaths leaving his brother's maw ruffled his wavy hair. Just. About. Now…

With a hardened heart, Ace hung up the call; transponder going silent once more. _Thanks again Gramps. See you around, ya geezer._ Finally catching on, the naval officers turned their angry looks toward him; most certainly not liking being made a fool of by a child. "You ready Sabo?" He whispered, and received another nod of affirmation. _Here goes nothing, I was really hoping to save this stuff for later… Oh well._

 _I can't believe I'm really gonna do this…_

Raising his voice, to be heard over the already present yelling, Ace jumped off the deep end and screamed, "What are you, some sort of weak cowards, who can't take down a couple of kids?" And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. They came surging forward, a new righteous fury lighting their eyes. _Perfect._

Tossing his pipe to the side, ignoring the flaring ache in his injured shoulder, the boy uncapped the large bottle of sake that was tightly fisted in his hand. Without waiting a single second longer, he threw the contents of the glass in a large arching motion onto the ground between them and the advancing Marines. All of it. With shaking hands, he fumbled with the thing he had packed in the bag on a whim. _Who knew this shit would really come in handy?_

Just a little longer… until they're close enough…

Just… A… Little… Longer…

 _Now!_

Striking two matches at once, Ace flung them down at the now alcohol covered dirt; mixing in with the rough pieces of bark sprinkled around. It all happened so fast that no one, not even the dark haired boy himself could react. It was like an eruption of flame and smoke, cutting a clear line across the marred ground; igniting through the liquid and wood concoction. _Thank all hell that I kept the spray contained, or else all of the wooden buildings would be burning down as well._ Shielding his eyes from the initial flare of light and heat, he grabbed onto Sabo's coat sleeve, preparing to sprint in the other direction. He tried his best to block out the pained yells of agony coming from those few that got caught up in the first wave of flames. _Now is not the time to feel sorry for them,_ a strong message he thought.

Now, for the hard part.

Swiveling over to tiger-Luffy, he reached a quavering hand out; hoping that somewhere deep down, his brother was in there. He had to be. Feral yellow eyes greeted him, just as the random barrage of bullets began. The whiz of those dangerous bits of metal meant nothing to him, in that moment; they need to get the hell out of dodge. Right. Now.

He was so distracted with the feeling of his hand on his Lu's matted fur that Ace didn't even register Sabo's shouts of warning. Or the feeling of being pushed to the side as the hulking feline figure moved to stand right where he just stood. All he noticed now was the pained roar that shook him to his core. That once clean fur coat was now stained crimson. And for who knows how long, he screamed; watching as the mighty form shifted back to the familiar small body of his little Lu, falling limply to the ground. Blood poured from a wound somewhere in the boy's raven hair. _Luffy was shot. Oh god… He just took a bullet for me._

By the light of the ever blazing fire, he couldn't for the life of him, make out whether or not his brother was… whether he was… whether he was dead or not. The unwanted sting of bile began to rise up, just as he caught a glimpse of the man responsible through the flickering of the inferno. It was only the cold hands of exhaustion and pain that kept the kid from rushing over there and murdering that bastard with his bare hands.

 _Was it worth it?_

After that, he couldn't recall anything but flashes.

Sabo, terrified yet controlled, tugging him along; speaking shaky, but calming reassurances. The almost _dead_ weight of his brother, splayed across his shoulders. The fading off of the Marine's cries as they travelled farther and farther from the town center. Or the steady rock of the tiny sail boat the blond commandeered, as they navigated it around the other side of the island; to avoid the attention of the ever present fleet. But to hell with all of that. To him, the only thing that mattered was the prone form of his Lu, propped against the side of the ship. Ace simply stared, unmoved in his shocked state.

 _Luffy has to be okay, he just has to be…_

 _Please, no…_

 _What have I done?_

 _What have I done?_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, only this story and the plot.**

 **A/N: Hello! I'm back with another chapter, and I sincerely hope you liked it. Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, or favorited. I don't really know why I write these long ass author's notes, probably their just mostly to either vent, or explain off any random questions that might be brought up after reading this; so thanks again to any of you who stuck through the whole thing. I'm trying to keep my ideas for this consistent with my overall endgame (which I have a good idea about even though we aren't even close to their yet), but if any of you have any problems, or suggestions about the in between parts, I'll try my best to live up to expectations. I really love Sabo's perspective to write from. See you next time around the bend! (p.s. if anyone wants to chat or talk, I'm always down for a good conversation…) Review :)** **.**

 **-Echo**


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